James Gunn Reveals The 1 Superman Scene He Nearly Cut After Audience Feedback
The new superhero blockbuster starring David Corenswet arrived earlier this month and marks the launch of a brand new era in the DC cinematic universe (DCU) from former Marvel director James Gunn.
After a strong opening weekend (though some less favourable critics' reviews), the hype for the fresh instalment in the iconic superhero franchise is still going strong.
But there was one important moment in the film that nearly didn't make the final cut, despite pretty much everyone's insistence that it should go.
Speaking in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the Guardians Of The Galaxy director revealed that the scene in which the Man Of Steel pauses to save a squirrel from a destructive monster proved to be one of the most divisive details in the whole movie.
'It was probably the second- or third-most hotly debated moment in the movie,' he explained, adding that they received strong test audience feedback from viewers who 'did not like the squirrel'.
'They're like, 'Why the fuck is he saving a squirrel? Why is he taking time out, saving a squirrel?' There was a cut where I cut it out and I'm like, 'I really miss the squirrel. He's gotta save the squirrel',' he added.
The director added that there were some 'geographical' problems regarding where Superman ended up if he didn't fly over the squirrel.
'So I put the squirrel back in despite the protestations of some of my people on my crew,' he added.
Of course, it's not just a silly throwaway moment – it shows Superman's empathy and kindness to another living creature.
In a separate interview with The New York Times, James explained how he believed the debate came down to 'do you like squirrels or not?'.
Meanwhile, another key detail caused huge debate even earlier in the filming process, as the filmmaker agonised over whether to have Superman in his iconic red pants again.
According to an interview with Gizmodo last year, the Slither director said he 'screened tested with trunks and no trunks', before they ultimately decided on bringing Superman back to his retro look.
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Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New movies to watch this weekend: See 'The Fantastic Four' in theaters, rent 'Materialists,' stream 'Happy Gilmore 2' on Netflix and more
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" shows that "Superman" was the start of a new trend. Hello, Yahoo readers! My name is Brett Arnold, film critic and longtime Yahoo editor, and I'm back with another edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything. This week, there are a handful of movies coming to streaming services you're likely already paying for, including Wes Anderson's latest, an indie gem about baseball and a fun self-aware horror flick. The biggest new release is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the latest attempt at making the Marvel characters pop onscreen with a buzzy new A-list cast, including Pedro Pascal. If you're looking for more Pascal, make it a double feature: His rom-dram Materialists is available to rent. Read on for more, because there's something here for everyone! What to watch in theaters Movies newly available to rent or buy Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have 🎥What to watch in theaters My recommendation: The Fantastic Four: First Steps Why you should watch it: The Fantastic Four: First Steps proves that James Gunn's Superman wasn't a one-off and instead was the start of an emerging trend of superhero movies. Both are comic book flicks that are meant to be introduction films, as well as reboots featuring iconic characters we've already seen onscreen before. They both purposefully avoid harping much on a character's origin story. The Fantastic Four: First Steps depicts it very quickly up top, whereas Superman throws you right into the action. Both rely on the audience knowing who these people are and what they do without getting bogged down by lore. That being said, each movie is meant to emulate the experience of reading a comic book, picking up an issue and getting caught up in that one arc without having to worry about its place in the larger universe. The best thing about The Fantastic Four: First Steps is that it doesn't adhere to the Marvel house style and has a unique look that's decidedly its own: a retro-futuristic take on the 1960s that feels as indebted to The Jetsons as it does the comic books its based on. Superman opened with Clark Kent having already been Superman for three years, and First Steps similarly opens with our heroes celebrating four years as America's superhero protectors. The public knows who they are and appreciates their efforts to keep them safe. But Marvel's First Family is soon forced to balance their roles as heroes and the strength of their family bond while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) is pregnant with the child of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), and the movie explores how Reed tries to 'babyproof the world,' as a character in the film puts it, and protect their kid from real and specific dangers — in this case, Galactus. The film is at its best when its leaning into either the silliness or the scale of the sci-fi comic book world these characters inhabit, like when we get a glimpse of villain Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser, a highlight) and his underground world of Subterranea, or when the plot turns to the idea of teleporting entire planets in order to save lives. The foreboding Galactus, who is the size of a skyscraper and more menacing than any villain I can think of in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is an undeniable selling point. Maybe it's just my love for science fiction showing, but a bad guy that's just the Death Star incarnate, destroying planets as if they were nothing, is scary, strong stuff. If I have a major complaint, it's that the Fantastic Four's powers are never really utilized in a way that feels specific to each character. It's all just generic superhero zipping around and shooting forceful beams out of their hands. The wildly specific skillsets all feel incidental here, rather than expertly written and woven into the narrative or the action. The Bear's Ebon Moss-Bacharach is terrific as the voice of the Thing, but the character feels like he has little to do here, and the entirely CGI creation of his being pales in comparison to the onscreen depiction 20 years ago, when Michael Chiklis was transformed into the character with extensive makeup. Joseph Quinn is fun as Johnny Storm, but he too just flies around while on fire. The Fantastic Four: First Steps may be the third attempt at bringing these classic comic book characters (the fourth, actually, if you count the hastily-made-to-keep-the-rights unreleased 1994 version) but it's undeniably the most successful of that very cursed bunch. The speed-run character development is a barrier at first, but by the end, I was worn down and accepted that this is what comic book movies are now, nearly 20 years after Iron Man changed everything for the genre. On paper, I love the idea of skipping the origin story, but after Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, I just think more work needs to be done setting up these worlds if I'm expected to buy in. For those unfamiliar with the characters, who have never seen a Fantastic Four movie or read one of their comic books, I do wonder if the experience is meaningfully different. What other critics are saying: Most agree that Marvel finally got it right this time. William Bibbiani at The Wrap says it's first-rate, writing, "whatever its drawbacks, feels like a real Fantastic Four movie, and that's no small achievement." The Associated Press's Jake Coyle agrees that the villains steal the show and calls it "a very solid comic book movie." How to watch: The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters nationwide July 25. Get tickets 🤔 But that's not all! This ridiculously bonkers horror movie starring Pete Davidson and directed by The Purge mastermind James DeMonaco was shot in early 2022 and is only now sneaking into theaters. Davidson plays a troubled man who starts working at a retirement home and realizes its residents and caretakers harbor sinister secrets. It's unpredictable in a fun way, even if it feels like you're watching a different movie in the final 10 minutes. Get tickets. : A derivative found-footage horror vehicle for Kris Collins, aka KallMeKris, a Canadian TikToker who has a massive following on the social media platform. It's ripping off The Blair Witch Project for most of the runtime, until it gets to the third act and imitates a different popular horror movie. It doesn't amount to much, sadly. Get tickets. 💸Movies newly available to rent or buy My recommendation: Why you should watch it: You can get a double helping of Pedro Pascal this weekend, if you're into that sort of thing, as the controversial Materialists is now watchable from your couch. As I wrote when it debuted in theaters, it disappoints in comparison to Past Lives, writer-director Celine Song's debut film, and the script ultimately lets down the actors, even if the performances are all very good. What other critics are saying: There are strong opinions on both sides here. Stephanie Zacharek at Time writes that it's "more bittersweet than sweet, which is what makes it so wonderful, in a wistful, elusive way." The Daily Beast's Nick Schager dubs it a disappointing letdown, calling it "the cinematic equivalent of a sugary soda gone terribly flat." How to watch: Materialists is now available to rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV and other VOD platforms. Rent or buy 'Materialists' ➕ Bonus recommendation Why you should watch it: The always-great Danielle Deadwyler stars in this postapocalyptic thriller about a Black family of Canadian farmers descended from American Civil War migrants defending their homestead against cannibals trying to seize their resources. Its specific approach to the apocalypse, that it's about food scarcity and the importance of farms in that future, makes it stand out from plenty of similar fare, as does the terrific and dynamic gunplay that unexpectedly takes up the latter half. The focus on family is also very effective. Much better than you'd expect from this sort of low-budget affair. What other critics are saying: Most agree it's worth your time! Rolling Stone's David Fear writes, "She's not better than the movie. Deadwyler just makes the movie better by every choice she's making as an actor." Amy Nicholson at the Los Angeles Times agrees, writing that "there's not one false beat in Deadwyler's performance." How to watch: 40 Acres is now available to rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV and other VOD platforms. Rent or buy '40 Acres' 🤔 But that's not all! : This is a horror movie about a serial killer whose method of killing is feeding his victims to sharks. I wish I didn't have to tell you that because the opening scene is such a shocking introduction, but the trailer gives it away immediately. It's still absolutely worth watching, if that sounds like your kind of thing. Rent or buy. Disney's live-action remake became the first and only movie to gross $1 billion this year, and now you can help it make more money by paying to rent it! As per usual with these things, it's not as nice to look at as the animated original, but it gets the job done. Rent or buy. 📺Movies newly available on streaming services you may have My recommendation: Why you should watch it: My colleague Kelsey Weekman was lucky enough to catch it early, and her review is below! What I at first thought was a depressingly obvious cash grab involving one of Adam Sandler's most beloved characters turned out to be a shockingly sweet (and still very funny) follow-up about the lengths even the biggest weirdos will go to for family. Nearly 30 years after the original came out, I wasn't sure how many more times they could turn hitting a golf ball so hard it makes rocket launcher noises into an effective gag, but thanks to some new characters who kept it true to the Sandler ethos (loud, ridiculous, playfully violent), it felt like a truly fresh franchise installment rather than a ham-handed appeal to nostalgia. But trust me, there are still plenty of nods to the original. Bad Bunny, aka Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, steals the show. What other critics are saying: There aren't any other reviews as of publication time. You'll have to trust Kelsey on this one! How to watch: Happy Gilmore 2 is now streaming on Netflix. Stream 'Happy Gilmore 2' ➕ Bonus recommendation: Why you should watch it: Sometimes, all you need is a cheap but satisfying B-movie about a creature on an island killing people in increasingly gory ways. Bonus points if the creature just so happens to be a guy in a suit. This World War II-set throwback is as inspired by the films of Jack Arnold (specifically Creature From the Black Lagoon) as it is Predator, and it delivers on the promise. The story about two guys from opposite sides of the war forced to band together against a greater threat works quite well! What other critics are saying: There aren't many reviews for this one yet, so you'll have to take my word for it. If you're into low-budget stuff buoyed by great practical FX work and better-than-average performances, check it out. How to watch: Monster Island is now streaming on Shudder. Stream 'Monster Island' 🤔 But that's not all! The latest film from Wes Anderson is a decidedly silly one. Imagine the usual Andersonian look and feel, now with cartoonish violence, and a terrific performance from Benicio Del Toro at its center. I wrote more about it here. Now streaming on Peacock. This quietly profound indie about a baseball team playing their last-ever game functions as a metaphor about life and the eventual bitter end of the things we love. How can you not be romantic about baseball?! I wrote more here. Now streaming on Mubi. This horror flick based on a popular video game leans more Cabin in the Woods send-up than earnest horror, and fans of the genre will enjoy the way it plays with conventions. Now streaming on Netflix. Steve Coogan is sensational in this cute movie inspired by the true story of a disillusioned Englishman who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976 and how his life is transformed when he befriends a penguin. Streaming on Netflix July 26. This A24 movie starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd is a high-concept fantastical comedy that eventually turns into goofy horror. I found it insufferable, but, hey, it's on HBO Max now, so you're not paying for streaming on HBO Max. That's all for this week — we'll see you next Friday at the movies!
Geek Tyrant
an hour ago
- Geek Tyrant
PEACEMAKER Season 2 Image Features a Monstrous New Character; New Synopsis Released — GeekTyrant
James Gunn is taking things to another level in Peacemaker Season 2, and we've got our first look at a wild new addition to the DC series. Den of Geek shared new behind-the-scenes images from the upcoming season, and one of them features Gunnstanding in front of a rubber-suited monster, and it's holding a little rat-like thing in his arm. The mysterious creature that looks like something straight out of a sci-fi horror flick. I have no idea who or what this is, so go ahead and let your theories fly! Whatever it is, chances are this new creature is going to make life even more complicated for Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker and his ragtag team. Along with the image, WB and Max also dropped a new synopsis that teases where the story is heading this season: 'In season 2, Peacemaker discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be. But this discovery also forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands.' The previous description adds: 'The new season follows Christopher 'Chris' Smith, aka Peacemaker, the vigilante Super Hero as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evil-doer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost.' Sounds like we're diving deep into multiversal chaos this time around. Gunn confirmed as much in a recent interview, saying: "People are realizing that Peacemaker Season Two is about two dimensions, and that's really the core of the show. But it's not as if one of these is old DCEU and one's DCU. That's dealt with in a different way, very upfront in a season where most everything in Season One is canon and some things are not. And in fact, I did a podcast with [actors] Steve Agee and Jen Holland. And we did every episode of Peacemaker, and in those episodes, I talk about what's canon and what's not. I basically chip off little things from Peacemaker Season One that aren't canon, like Aquaman. But most of the stuff is canon." So,we're getting alternate realities, canon shake-ups, and a wild-looking new monster in the mix. If Season 1 was wild, Season 2 is shaping up to be absolutely insane.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What ‘Love Island USA' Revealed About Culture and Dating Is Straight-Up Sinister
By the time Love Island USA concluded on Sunday, millions of viewers who tuned in this summer felt defeated. Countless posts that flooded everyone's timelines on X were exhausted, delirious, and even angry. Let's state the obvious: the seventh season of the show was an absolute mess. The four remaining couples who competed in the finale perfectly exemplify how incredibly stupid this season was: not a single couple had been exploring their connection before Casa Amor, and two of the pairs had only coupled up in the final week. One of the couples even broke up on their final date, a first in Love Island history. More from Rolling Stone People's Princess Amaya Papaya, Late Breakups, Nicolandria: Fans React to 'Love Island' Finale 'Love Island Games' Sets Return After Two Years With Ariana Madix Taking Over as Host 'Love Island USA' Season 7 Winners Revealed But the mess went beyond the kind of lackluster romance: fans scoured each of the contestants' digital footprints better than the producers had. Two contestants were removed from the show for using racist slurs. Stan wars for other contestants led to the 'exposure' of even more allegedly problematic behavior online, though the flood of screenshots and allegations started to blur between the real and the photoshopped. Love Island has always been a source of extremely parasocial viewer behavior. The show invites it: there are new episodes six days a week in the UK and five days a week for the USA format for nearly two months straight. While the islanders are cut off from the world outside the villa, their family or friends usually take over their social media pages to support and, increasingly, defend them. And while the fate of the islanders is mostly in the hands of their fellow contestants — you must remain in a couple to stay in the villa — there are viewer votes in the app where their popularity matters, especially when it comes to determining a winner. Love Island UK, the first version of this global franchise, has been a case study in the pros and cons of the show's all-consuming success. The contestants, typically ordinary people with normal jobs in the earlier seasons, would leave the villa with massive followings and brand deals, drastically changing their lives. But the reality of the public watching at least six hours of footage of romantic trial and error left many islanders scrambling to re-piece their lives together in the aftermath; two islanders from the UK series committed suicide in 2018 and 2019 following cyberbullying from fans who disagreed with their romantic choices and behavior on the show. But at the bare minimum of each season, there was some real romance, and the most authentic couples who had great stories tended to rightfully take the top prize. Last season of USA saw the American version finally catch on for this very reason. Originally airing on CBS for three seasons before moving to Peacock, the show was always in the shadow of its UK counterpart, which releases episodes on Hulu stateside. After hiring Vanderpump Rules breakout star Ariana Madix to host, the show finally started to gain some traction and tally up the views in the process. Last summer's sixth season was dramatic and beloved: the girls on the show created a powerful sisterhood in the face of the men's rampant and mischievous exploration with new bombshells. But true love stories emerged, with three of the final four couples sticking together to this day. From the beginning of Love Island USA's seventh season, it was clear that the majority of the show's contestants were more hellbent on winning than fostering the types of connections that typically help a couple take the top prize in the end. It seemed like the islanders, most of whom were working influencers and models prior to the series, had never seen an episode of the show in their lives: they would punish each other for leaning into strong connections, eliminating individuals they felt weren't 'exploring' enough and used the ever-trending phrase 'lovebombing' to insult each other, in spite of the show's very real necessity that they work to build intense romantic connections quicker than usual. There were stark divisions and cliques in the villa, but they were nothing in comparison to the type of pop stan-like followings the islanders were gaining outside. Fans of individuals on the show were fighting more ruthlessly than the actual contestants. Any perceived slight would lead to a flood of hateful comments and messages on the contestants' Instagram and TikTok pages, or even mass unfollowings in the wake of feuds or recouplings. Individual popularity has never meant more than on this season of Love Island: even though couple Ace Greene and Chelley Bissainthe had been exploring their connection longer than any couple on the show, they were eliminated via public vote just before the finale. From early on in the season, the pair were plagued with accusations of being in a relationship prior to filming, and Ace's public image barely recovered from the perception of him playing the game too competitively after pushing for the elimination of Jeremiah Brown as Jeremiah was building a new and potentially strong connection with bombshell Andreina Santos-Marte. Even Chelley, one of the girls to quickly rack up followers while on the show, couldn't quite overcome the even more passionate following for her villa frenemy Huda Mustafa, especially after Huda coupled up with Chelley's Casa Amor connection Chris Seeley. Not making matters any better was production itself. This season was full of twists that made the show nearly unwatchable. Many of the eliminations were vote-based instead of through internal re-couplings that leave islanders single and therefore eliminated. The choice to do viewer and islander votes made the show feel too produced, keeping people on for longer than they probably needed to actually be there. Even the choice to make islanders couple up with bombshells in Casa Amor felt demented. When fan favorites Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe were left 'single' in Casa, they were paired up and briefly explored a connection that viewers had been hoping they would since the first day. But the whole schtick felt more like fan service than an authentic realization; they were placed back in the villa, then immediately friend-zoned each other in order to fight for their original partners. They would only pair up again in the final week after Nic's partner, Cierra Ortega, was removed on Day 26 for using anti-Asian slurs in past Instagram posts. What Love Island revealed this summer about culture at this moment feels sinister. The outcome of the discourses and behavior both in the villa and online reveals how nasty and toxic fan culture has become. Increasingly so, production for reality series that are this popular will have to navigate casting a generation of people whose whole lives are one big digital footprint, one that will have captured the whole gamut of their growth as an individual. And as viewers lean into the popularity contest of it all, they will take advantage of that access, for better or worse. While holding Cierra accountable for her using derogatory language is important, there should be no room for death threats towards her or calling ICE on her family, who are of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent. The most telling reflection of all is how modern dating has evolved. The dynamics in the villa were gross and cruel from the jump, with the men seeming to often punish the women who would begin to show affection towards them, while the women grew territorial over their connections, even before knowing if they wanted to commit to them. Early in the season, Ace chastised eventual winner Amaya Espinal for calling him 'babe' while Taylor Williams was incapable of telling Olandria that he was just not that into her, even though she was clearly very into him. Third place couple Huda and Chris' final few days in the villa were hard to watch; in moments of conflict, both would talk over each other until Chris would shut down and Huda would walk away. In the final episode, she threatened a fight after he chose to sleep over cuddling with her in bed. When they spoke about it during their final date, Chris egged her on to end their romantic connection instead of being upfront and doing it himself. They left angry and even crying in Huda's case, just 24 hours before the winner of the entire show was revealed. This was Love Island USA flying directly into the sun. There's a real reckoning to be made about the casting process and how to move forward, especially given the type of influence and clout the show can create for its contestants. The show also needs to reexamine how it can even be structured when the fans are this emotionally involved. There's a reason that over the years, the show has started to prioritize casting people who have online followings to begin with. They already have a taste for the type of scrutiny and influence that comes with starring on the show, albeit on a much smaller scale. But given just how toxic the online scrutiny became this summer, it feels reasonable that less and less prospective contestants will want their lives viewed under that type of microscope. Only time will tell how this season's contestants fare in the real world once the dust settles. Most of Season Six has been able to largely move on and profit from the experience and their followings, starring in the Peacock spin-off Beyond the Villa. They left most of their feuds back on the island and focused on their real connections and very real emerging careers. Let's hope the season seven cast will be able to do the same. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century Solve the daily Crossword
